On the heels of the CW giving an early renewal to all five series of the DC/Berlanti Prods. universe, the oldest one which launched the universe, Arrow, is undergoing a leadership change, with co-executive producer Beth Schwartz promoted to executive producer and sole showrunner for the upcoming seventh season.

Current Arrow executive producer/co-showrunner Wendy Mericle is departing at the end of the current Season 6. Marc Guggenheim is taking a back seat on the two series he co-created and has been executive producing/co-showrunning, Arrow (alongside Mericle) and Legends of Tomorrow (alongside Phil Klemmer). He is transitioning to an executive consultant role on both shows. Current Legends co-showrunner Klemmer will become the sole showrunner in the upcoming fourth season.

The CW

Greg Berlanti, who oversees all DC series as executive producer, including Arrow, first met Schwartz when he hired her as his assistant on his 2002 WB drama series Everwood. She co-wrote two episodes of the Berlanti-produced ABC series Brothers & Sisters before joining Arrow in 2012 as a writers assistant in Season 1. Schwartz was quickly promoted to a writer and rose to the ranks to co-executive producer in Season 6– and now executive producer and showrunner for Season 7.

“We are all so incredibly thrilled to announce Beth Schwartz as the new showrunner of Arrow,” Berlanti said. “She has been a source of some of the show’s most exciting and memorable moments from the beginning. Beth is a true leader and a captivating storyteller, and we all can’t wait for the audience to see what she and her team dream up as they take Arrow into its next big chapter.”

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Guggenheim co-created Arrow and Legends of Tomorrow with Berlanti and Andrew Kreisberg. Berlanti Prods. and Warner Bros. TV tweaked the leadership of two other DC series, co-created/co-showrun by Kreisberg, The Flash and Supergirl, earlier this season when he was fired over sexual harassment allegations. Berlanti stepped in for him, assuming additional responsibilities on both The Flash, where he worked closely with executive producer/co-showrunner Todd Helbing, and Supergirl, where he partnered with executive producers/co-showrunners Robert Rovner and Jessica Queller. Helbing will continue as showrunner on The Flash and Rovner and Queller as showrunners onf Supergirl. Salim Akil is the showrunner of freshman Black Lightning, renewed for Season 2.

Mericle has been on Arrow since after the pilot and a co-showrunner since Season 4.